NEW
DELHI: A joint venture between Swedish defence giant Saab and the Adani
group is looking at producing a broad portfolio of products including
UAVs and helicopters for the Indian armed forces, besides eyeing a
billion-dollar deal for supplying fighter jets to the ​ Indian Air
Force.

NEW
DELHI: A joint venture between Swedish defence giant Saab and the Adani
group is looking at producing a broad portfolio of products including
UAVs and helicopters for the Indian armed forces, besides eyeing a
billion-dollar deal for supplying fighter jets to the ​ Indian Air
Force.

NEW
DELHI: A joint venture between Swedish defence giant Saab and the Adani
group is looking at producing a broad portfolio of products including
UAVs and helicopters for the Indian armed forces, besides eyeing a
billion-dollar deal for supplying fighter jets to the ​ Indian Air
Force.

NEW
DELHI: A joint venture between Swedish defence giant Saab and the Adani
group is looking at producing a broad portfolio of products including
UAVs and helicopters for the Indian armed forces, besides eyeing a
billion-dollar deal for supplying fighter jets to the ​ Indian Air
Force.

SEATTLE, Nov. 3, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Boeing [NYSE:BA] and Air China today celebrated the delivery of the airline's first 737 MAX 8. China's national flag carrier is the first airline in the country to receive the 737 MAX. Customers throughout China will take delivery of nearly 100 737 MAXs by the end of next year.

"Air China has been a longstanding valued customer for decades," said Rick Anderson, vice president of Sales, Northeast Asia, Boeing Commercial Airplanes. "This delivery marks another significant milestone in our enduring partnership. We are confident that the 737 MAX 8 will play a key role in Air China's continued growth."

Boeing's partnership with Air China dates back to the 1970s. Air China's fleet includes seven Boeing 747-8s, 26 777-300ERs, 11 787-9 Dreamliners and more than 140 Next-Generation 737s.

The 737 MAX family has been designed to offer customers exceptional performance, flexibility and efficiency, with lower per-seat costs and an extended range that will open up new destinations in the single-aisle market.

The 737 MAX incorporates the latest technology CFM International LEAP-1B engines, Advanced Technology winglets, the Boeing Sky Interior, large flight deck displays, and other improvements to deliver the highest efficiency, reliability and passenger comfort in the single-aisle market.

The 737 MAX is the fastest selling airplane in Boeing history, accumulating more than 3,900 orders to date from 92 customers worldwide.
Read more...

CHICAGO, Nov. 1, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Boeing [NYSE: BA] announced its investment in Valencia, Calif.-based Gamma Alloys, a leader in aluminum alloys focused on developing advanced metal-matrix composites for use in aerospace, automotive and other industries.

This investment by Boeing HorizonX Ventures, which was established earlier this year, is its first in advanced materials and machining development and applications.

"The wear, strength, durability and machining characteristics of Gamma's materials have the opportunity to further reduce the weight of our products," said Steve Nordlund, vice president of Boeing HorizonX. "The traction that Gamma Alloys has gained in automotive, energy and aerospace reinforces our confidence that Gamma has a unique set of materials."

Gamma Alloys, founded in 2008, is pursuing breakthroughs in nano-reinforced aluminum alloys, where the aluminum is reinforced with microscopic particles, or nanoparticles. These alloys provide increased stiffness, improved wear resistance, and greater strength than current materials across a wider range of temperatures. Gamma Alloys is particularly focused on custom solutions where design engineers are currently limited in what they can create with traditionally available materials.

"With funding from Boeing, we will explore compelling applications across demanding industries such as aerospace while accelerating our nanoparticle material development and the full-scale industrialization of our manufacturing processes," said Gamma Alloys CEO Mark Sommer. "The decision to choose Boeing HorizonX Ventures was simple – the opportunity to partner with Boeing was too compelling to pass up."

By leveraging the power of the world's largest aerospace company, Boeing HorizonX invests in new business ventures to unlock the next generation of game-changing ideas, products, and markets. The Boeing HorizonX Ventures portfolio includes investments in autonomous systems technology, wearable enabled technologies, augmented reality systems, hybrid-electric propulsion and artificial intelligence. HorizonX also seeks unique business opportunities and non-traditional partnerships for the company's aerospace technology using disruptive innovations and business strategies. Chicago-based Boeing is the world's largest aerospace company and leading manufacturer of commercial jetliners and defense, space and security systems. A top U.S. exporter, the company supports airlines and U.S. and allied government customers in 150 countries

n mid-October, a delegation of the Airbus Corporation visited the Zhukovsky Central AeroHydrodynamic Institute (TsAGI, a member of the “National Research Center Institute named after N.E.Zhukovsky”). The delegation was headed by the Senior Vice-President for Research and Technology Axel Flaig. The parties held negotiations on promising areas of cooperation within the framework of bilateral initiatives and European programs.

TsAGI’s Director General, Academician Sergey Chernyshev informed these foreign colleagues about the possibilities of utilizing the experimental base of the Russian Center of aeronautical science, including the installations involved in projects with Airbus. A case in point was the AFLoNext project tests in a large subsonic wind tunnel of the Institute, which is the largest in Europe. Sergey Chernyshev stressed the long experience of successful cooperation with Airbus, which was confirmed by other international studies as well.

“Our engagement with Airbus is an example of effective cooperation, which gives birth to important global aviation industry decisions and results,” said Sergey Chernyshev. “At the same time these achievements help to create breakthrough technologies in Russia. It’s satisfying to know that TsAGI is an active participant of this process.”

“We have been working successfully for many years with TsAGI on a number of European programmes as well as projects of bilateral cooperation. We were impressed by the advanced technologies and innovative approach used by our partner in its work,” stated Axel Flaig.

In addition to AFLoNext the Institute cooperates with Airbus with a number of other projects in the framework of the 7th EU Framework Program: RUMBLE, BUTERFLI, HEXAFLY-INT, HAIC, Future Sky Safety, and AGILE.

Dulles, Virginia 1 November 2017 -- Orbital ATK (NYSE: OA), a global leader in aerospace and defense technologies, announced it has successfully completed a series of static test firings of a prototype tactical solid rocket motor built with critical metal components fabricated by additive manufacturing, commonly known as 3-D printing. These tests marked the first industry demonstration of a 3-D printed complex rocket nozzle and closure assembly in a tactical class rocket motor.

The motor was developed in partnership with the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Research, Development and Engineering Center (AMRDEC) at Redstone Arsenal, Alabama. It incorporates leading-edge materials technologies designed to improve the performance and safety of a next generation anti-tank missile system. The prototype boost motors featured a high strength graphite epoxy composite case, a reduced sensitivity minimum signature rocket propellant, and 3-D printed components. Assembly and testing of the prototype motors was conducted at Orbital ATK’s Tactical Propulsion and Ordnance facility in Rocket Center, West Virginia.

The test firings successfully validated boost motor and component performance across the full operational temperature range from -26 degrees to +145 degrees Fahrenheit, closely matching pre-test predictions and meeting all test objectives. The 3-D printed single piece high strength steel rocket nozzle and closure structure is expected to improve system affordability by significantly reducing parts count and manufacturing complexity of the current fielded system. In addition, the perforated rocket motor igniter housing and nozzle weatherseal used in the prototype tests were also additively manufactured.

“Orbital ATK has been very successful in taking additive manufacturing out of the academic world and incorporating it into our industrial design and operations,” said Pat Nolan, Vice President and General Manager for Orbital ATK’s Missile Products Division, part of the Defense Systems Group. “Our goal is not just to create industry firsts, but to create practical, reliable solutions that increase our products’ effectiveness while reducing the time it takes to get them into the field.”

As part of the Army’s Missile Science and Technology Enterprise objectives, Orbital ATK and AMRDEC developed the prototype motor to demonstrate and mature new and emerging materials technologies to enhance system effectiveness and achieve insensitive munitions compliance for next generation weapons that will protect soldiers, troops, civilians, and assets from greater threats in all conditions. Orbital ATK expects to continue this work for the next five years under the recently awarded Rocket Propulsion Technology II research and development contract.

Distribution Statement A: Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited.

About Orbital ATK

Orbital ATK is a global leader in aerospace and defense technologies. The company designs, builds and delivers space, defense and aviation systems for customers around the world, both as a prime contractor and merchant supplier. Its main products include launch vehicles and related propulsion systems; missile products, subsystems and defense electronics; precision weapons, armament systems and ammunition; satellites and associated space components and services; and advanced aerospace structures. Headquartered in Dulles, Virginia, Orbital ATK employs approximately 13,000 people across the U.S. and in several international locations. For more information, visit www.orbitalatk.com.

Defence and security company Saab announces that the Gripen E smart fighter flew supersonic for the first time. The aircraft broke the sound barrier over the Baltic Sea on the 18th October.

The Gripen E smart fighter flew at speeds greater than the speed of sound, at over Mach 1, as part of the ongoing flight trials programme. The purpose was to collect data from the aircraft as it achieved and sustained supersonic speed. The flight took place over the Baltic sea and the aircraft sustained supersonic speed for a number of minutes, whilst carrying out maneouvres, demonstrating the successful combination of the aicraft’s fighter design and its powerful engine.

“As Gripen pilots we are used to extreme speed but to go through the sound barrier for an aircraft’s first time is still a moment to enjoy. It is important that the aircraft handles the transition smoothly through what we call the transonic zone around the sound barrier and she certainly did, it was very smooth,” said Marcus Wandt, Test Pilot, Saab.

Welcoming the news, Jonas Hjelm, Senior Vice President and head of business area Aeronautics said, “Individual milestones such as this supersonic flight demonstrate the thoroughness of our engineering approach and the validty of the modelling. It is further evidence that the Gripen E flight test programme is going extremely well, whilst the delivery schedule to our two customers remains our key focus.”

This milestone has been preceeded by over 20 flying hours since the first flight back on 15 June 2017.

When NASA's Mars Pathfinder touched down in 1997, it had five cameras: two on a mast that popped up from the lander, and three on NASA's first rover, Sojourner.

Since then, camera technology has taken a quantum leap. Photo sensors that were improved by the space program have become commercially ubiquitous. Cameras have shrunk in size, increased in quality and are now carried in every cellphone and laptop.

That same evolution has returned to space. NASA's Mars 2020 mission will have more "eyes" than any rover before it: a grand total of 23, to create sweeping panoramas, reveal obstacles, study the atmosphere, and assist science instruments. They will provide dramatic views during the rover's descent to Mars and be the first to capture images of a parachute as it opens on another planet. There will even be a camera inside the rover's body, which will study samples as they're stored and left on the surface for collection by a future mission.

A Snapshot of Some Mars 2020 Cameras› Enhanced Engineering Cameras: Color, higher resolution and wider fields of view than Curiosity's engineering cameras.› Mastcam-Z: An improved version of Curiosity's MASTCAM with a 3:1 zoom lens.
› SuperCam Remote Micro-Imager (RMI): The highest-resolution remote imager will have color, a change from the imager that flew with Curiosity's ChemCam.› CacheCam: Will watch as rock samples are deposited into the rover's body.› Entry, descent and landing cameras: Six cameras will record
the entry, descent and landing process, providing the first video of a
parachute opening on another planet.› Lander Vision System Camera: Will use computer vision to guide the landing, using a new technology called terrain relative navigation.› SkyCam: A suite of weather instruments will include a sky-facing camera for studying clouds and the atmosphere.

All these cameras will be incorporated as the Mars 2020 rover is built at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. They represent a steady progression since Pathfinder: after that mission, the Spirit and Opportunity rovers were designed with 10 cameras each, including on their landers; Mars Science Laboratory's Curiosity rover has 17.

"Camera technology keeps improving," said Justin Maki of JPL, Mars 2020's imaging scientist and deputy principal investigator of the Mastcam-Z instrument. "Each successive mission is able to utilize these improvements, with better performance and lower cost."

That advantage represents a full circle of development, from NASA to the private sector and back. In the 1980s, JPL developed active-pixel sensors that used less power than earlier digital camera technology. These sensors were later commercialized by the Photobit Corporation, founded by former JPL researcher Eric Fossum, now at Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire.

20/20 Vision

The cameras on 2020 will include more color and 3-D imaging than on Curiosity, said Jim Bell of Arizona State University, Tempe, principal investigator for 2020's Mastcam-Z. The "Z" stands for "zoom," which will be added to an improved version of Curiosity's high-definition Mastcam, the rover's main eyes.

Mastcam-Z's stereoscopic cameras can support more 3-D images, which are ideal for examining geologic features and scouting potential samples from long distances away. Features like erosion and soil textures can be spotted at the length of a soccer field. Documenting details like these is important: They could reveal geologic clues and serve as "field notes" to contextualize samples for future scientists.

"Routinely using 3-D images at high resolution could pay off in a big way," Bell said. "They're useful for both long-range and near-field science targets."

Finally, in color

The Spirit, Opportunity and Curiosity rovers were all designed with engineering cameras for planning drives (Navcams) and avoiding hazards (Hazcams). These produced 1-megapixel images in black and white.

On the new rover, the engineering cameras have been upgraded to acquire high-resolution, 20-megapixel color images.

Their lenses will also have a wider field of view. That's critical for the 2020 mission, which will try to maximize the time spent doing science and collecting samples.

"Our previous Navcams would snap multiple pictures and stitch them together," said Colin McKinney of JPL, product delivery manager for the new engineering cameras. "With the wider field of view, we get the same perspective in one shot."

That means less time spent panning, snapping pictures and stitching. The cameras are also able to reduce motion blur, so they can take photos while the rover is on the move.

A Data Link to Mars

There's a challenge in all this upgrading: It means beaming more data through space.

"The limiting factor in most imaging systems is the telecommunications link," Maki said. "Cameras are capable of acquiring much more data than can be sent back to Earth."

To address that problem, rover cameras have gotten "smarter" over time -- especially regarding compression.

On Spirit and Opportunity, the compression was done using the onboard computer; on Curiosity, much of it was done using electronics built into the camera. That allows for more 3-D imaging, color, and even high-speed video.

NASA has also gotten better at using orbiting spacecraft as data relays. That concept was pioneered for rover missions with Spirit and Opportunity. The idea of using relays started as an experiment with NASA's Mars Odyssey orbiter, Bell said.

"We were expecting to do that mission on just tens of megabits each Mars day, or sol," he said. "When we got that first Odyssey overflight, and we had about 100 megabits per sol, we realized it was a whole new ballgame."

NASA plans to use existing spacecraft already in orbit at Mars -- the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, MAVEN, and the European Space Agency's Trace Gas Orbiter -- as relays for the Mars 2020 mission, which will support the cameras during the rover's first two years.